Arousal and Anxiety

Question 1

What is ‘arousal’?

Answer 1

A state of activation that varies on a continuum from deep sleep to intense excitement.

Question 2

What is ‘anxiety’?

Answer 2

Negative emotional state with feelings of nervousness and worry associated with activation or arousal of the body.

Anxiety and arousal are often interwined.

Question 3

What is ‘trait anxiety’?

Answer 3

General feelings of anxiety across situations.
o Personality characteristics
o ‘A-trait’

Question 4

What is ‘state anxiety’?

Answer 4

Situational feelings of apprehension or tension.
o ‘A-state’
o Temporary, Situation specific

Question 5

What is the relationship between trait and state anxiety?

Answer 5

High trait anxiety is associated with high state anxiety.

Question 6

What are the 2 types of anxiety?

Answer 6

Cognitive anxiety (mental) & Somatic anxiety (physical)

Question 7

What is anxiety intensity?

Answer 7

How much anxiety one feels.

Question 8

What is anxiety direction?

Answer 8

One’s interpretation of anxiety as being facilitative or debilitative to performance.

Question 9

Describe the Drive Theory

Answer 9

• Arousal increases the likelihood that the dominant response will occur.
• Effects of arousal (drive) on performance depend on skill level.

High arousal levels = dominant response

Question 10

Describe the Inverted U Theory

Answer 10

• Increased arousal improves performance up to a point, after which further increases impair performance.
• Optimal Arousal level varies from person to person.

Question 11

What is the Individual zone of optimal functioning?

Answer 11

• Each athlete has a zone of optimal anxiety in which they perform best.
• Optimal level so not a single point but a bandwidth

Question 12

What are the drive theory limitations?

Answer 12

• Too simplistic, predictions often fall short.
  o Can’t explain why elite athletes sometimes choke under pressure.
  o Can’t explain why novice athletes sometimes excel when under pressure or anxious conditions.

Question 13

What are the inverted U theory limitations?

Answer 13

• Unlikely that performance decreases in a smooth declining arc
• Over arousal more likely to lead to a vertical plumet

Question 14

What are the individual zones of optimal functioning limitations?

Answer 14

• Doesn’t explain why some perform better when in certain emotional states and others don’t.
• Doesn’t explain variation in performance for the same athlete experiencing the same emotion intensity.

Question 15

What are the multidimensional anxiety theory limitations?

Answer 15

• Assumes cognitive anxiety is bad.
• Assumes there is a smooth decline in performance.

Question 16

What are the Catastrophe theory limitations?

Answer 16

• Very difficult to rest and research.
• How can you recreate that intense arousal level with an experimental setting?

Question 17

What are the advantages to physiological measures of anxiety?

Answer 17

o Direct comparisons
o Quantifiable values

Question 18

What are the disadvantages to physiological measures of anxiety?

Answer 18

o Expensive
o Requires training.
o Response not always reflection of anxiety.

Question 19

What are the advantages to self-report questionnaires?

Answer 19

o Cheap
o No special training
o Easy to administer.
o Can distinguish between different types of anxiety

Question 20

What are the disadvantages to self-report questionnaires?

Answer 20

o Response bias/social desirable answers
o Difficult to compare to other scores.
o Can we always articulate how we feel?
o Response scales can be limiting (e.g., 1-4)

Question 21

How can arousal and anxiety influence performance?

Answer 21

Muscle tension & coordination difficulties

Attention & concentration changes